(Re)Starting My Yoga Practice

(Source)

I've always wanted to be a yogi. They're so flexible and just seem so much more relaxed and down to earth. Not to mention that there are some bangin' yoga bodies out there.

Last year (around October) I was in a good place with yoga and was practicing almost every day. I saw a (much needed) increase in my flexibility and felt a sense of accomplishment for doing something good for myself every day.

Then I fell off the wagon. or should I say mat? I'm one of those inordinately inflexible people. My forward fold isn't even a half bend. Segue: Speaking of yoga, I heard a funny yoga-joke on The League last night. A yoga teacher was mad at one of the guys on the show and said,"Go do an inversion on your moon cycle!" - translation: "do a headstand on your period." Oh haha yoga jokes.

Anyway, I'm still sticking with my 365 Days of Yoga challenge (Day 7 / 365 I know I'm almost there!) and I wanted to ask you all how you stick with a yoga routine?

Right now I'm finishing up Erin Motz's 10 Day Yoga Ab Challenge, but I don't know where to go from there. I think I should work on getting my flexibility back up to at least that of a brittle rubber band.

So I guess my questions are:

• How can I make yoga a part of my everyday life? 
• Are there any yoga programs (for free) that work for you? 
• Are there any specific videos or websites that I should check out?

Let me know in the comments below! Also, as a side note, what do you think of the new site?

Bedtime Yoga

I love doing a quick yoga sequence before bed. It helps me clear my mind and stretch out any tight muscles before going to sleep. You can follow the yoga sequence I do before bed sometimes below. I do these poses right on my bed. Perform each of these poses on both sides before moving to the next one. Hold each pose for about 5-10 breaths.

Stretches your core.

The Comeback Workout (Week 1)

Do you ever get to that breaking point where you're tired of feeling weak? Your're tired of not having enough energy to get through the day? You're tired of not liking what you see in the mirror? That was me on Monday. I hit a moment where I said "NO MORE" to myself. No more skipping workouts, no more cheat meals, and no more laziness. So on Monday I set a schedule up for myself. I wanted to jolt myself back into the game, how do you do that? Two-a-days.

Post Run Yoga Routine

I spent years of my life running and not stretching afterwards. I was always too tired, too crunched for time, or too lazy. I knew it was bad for me, but I never really cared much until I injured my back. If I had paid more attention to my body I might not have ended up seriously hurting myself. Now, I make sure to stretch after every run. I even put together my own 15 minute yoga sequence for post-run stretching. Here are some of the yoga poses that help me the most after a run.

This always feels aMAZing on my tight hamstrings

Five Favorites

I'm always excited about a new discovery or something I have coming up. This Friday, here are the five things that I am loving/looking forward to!

The view of the Delaware River we had during our work retreat this Thursday.

I'll be running the Rescue Run 5k with a friend on Sunday to benefit the Monster Milers, a program we volunteer for which takes shelter dogs on runs. (I got to take that beautiful girl out a couple weeks ago).

This amazing warm lobster roll I got from the Surf and Turf food truck today. Mango butter, kale, cabbage, and jalapeno (with lots of juicy lobster meat???) yes, please!

(Text conversation between my sister and me)

The job I have now is only a 1-year contracted position that is over at the end of November, but I found out that my organization will be keeping me on as a manager! (pay raise!) I'm so happy to be able to continue working with all of the amazing people in my office! 

(My Sweat on the Mat class I created in the Yoga Studio app)

While this week was an amazing one for me, I've felt run down and off-track. I'm looking forward to going home, doing some intense yoga, and maybe watching a chick flick or reading.